An Extension Specialist's Reflections from the Field: Discovering Ag of the Middle in the Shift from Direct Sale to Wholesale Vegetable Production

Abstract

Although consumer demand for local and organic food continues to grow, some direct market outlets have tightened. In response, small and mid-acreage farmers are beginning to consider the value of shifting from the direct marketing of hundreds of varieties for farmers markets or community supported agriculture to growing fewer crops for sale in a wholesale market. We report on one field study of a simplified crop rotation indicating that regionally adapted crop rotations may allow producers to achieve profitable harvests while maintaining or building soil health. However, this shift toward mid-scale practice may be risky. Growers reduce variety and increase mechanization with the assumption that increased volume will compensate for lower prices; yet, it is unclear what the scale-shift must be to make wholesale economically feasible. Farmers must also enact a series of organizational reforms to meet the regulations and expectations of wholesale markets, regardless of acreage.